Structural, optical, and electrochemical characterization of SrZrO₃ nanomaterials and their corrosion inhibition performance

Abstract

Although SrZrO₃-based materials have been extensively investigated for optical applications, their corrosion inhibition behavior has received limited attention. Furthermore, reports simultaneously investigating electrochemical and luminescent functionalities within the same SrZrO₃-based system remain scarce. In the first phase of this investigation, SrZrO₃ nanoparticles (SZ-NPs) were successfully synthesized and systematically evaluated as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel (MS) in a 1 M HCl environment. Electrochemical measurements, including potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were performed at 298 K to assess their corrosion inhibition performance. The results demonstrated a maximum inhibition efficiency of 51.20% at an optimal inhibitor concentration of 1500 ppm. The enhanced corrosion resistance imparted by SZ-NPs is attributed to the formation of a protective adsorbed layer on the mild-steel surface, which effectively suppresses both anodic and cathodic electrochemical reactions by blocking active corrosion sites, thereby significantly reducing metal dissolution and mitigating overall corrosion degradation. In the second part of this study, Eu³⁺-doped SrZrO₃ nanophosphors were synthesized to investigate their photoluminescence properties. Structural characterization confirmed that Eu³⁺ incorporation preserved the orthorhombic perovskite framework, while photoluminescence measurements revealed intense orange-red emission with optimum intensity at 7 mol% Eu³⁺ under 396 nm excitation. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the SrZrO₃ perovskite framework supports two independent functional applications—surface-mediated corrosion protection in its undoped form and rare-earth-activated optical emission through controlled lattice substitution.

Graphical abstract